Archive for the 'Chuck Finley' Tag Under 'Angels' Category

Former Angels All-Star pitcher Chuck Finley will be making an appearance on Saturday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Living Spaces furniture store, 101 Technology Dr., in Irvine.

The first 300 guests will be able to meet Finley and get his autograph for free.

The left-hander played 14 seasons (1986-1999) with the Angels. The five-time All-Star retired in 2002 after a 17-year career and a 200-173 record, with a 3.85 ERA. He led the AL in innings pitched (183.1) and games started (25) in 1994.

Finley stood at the podium on stage, squinted beneath the bright lights and said, "It's like we're filming 'COPS.'" He also said that he couldn't believe Weaver had been in the majors for six years and was already getting a roast. "It took me 17 years to get a roast. It wasn't a roast though, more like an intervention," Finley said with a dead-pan delivery.

This might have been a family event given that his parents, Gail and Dave Weaver, and his wife, Kristin, were seated at the front table. But the pals of Angels All-Star pitcher Jered Weaver left nothing sacred when it came to honoring -- and roasting -- him during Tuesday night's Orange County Youth Sports Foundation banquet at the Newport Beach Marriott.

Weaver was honored as the 2012 OCYSF Sportsman of the Year. (Here's the column and slide show on the event.) Angels manager Mike Scioscia, assistant athletic trainer Rick Smith and bullpen coach Steve Soliz, Long Beach State baseball coach Troy Buckley, former Angels Chuck Finley, Bobby Grich and Clyde Wright joined Weaver at the head table and spoke about the right-hander who has committed to stay with the Angels for another five seasons.

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With the excitement of Jered Weaver's contract extension still setting in, let's look at some previous franchise starting pitchers for the Angels, and their departures while they were still quite effective:

-- Dean Chance left the Angels at age 26 in 1967, traded to the Minnesota Twins in a deal that brought outfielder Jimmie Hall and first baseman Don Mincher. The pitching-rich club was seeking "some big bats," which is why I cringe whenever I hear that expression. Chance won 20 games his first season as a Twin. As an Angel, he was 74-66 with a 2.83 ERA, 21 shutouts (and 16 saves!), and one 1964 Cy Young Award -- when only one was issued for all of baseball.

-- Home-grown ace Andy Messersmith (Western High) left the Angels at age 27, traded to the Dodgers in a 1973 deal that brought Frank Robinson (age 36), Bill Singer and Bobby Valentine to Anaheim. Messersmith was 59-47 with a 2.78 ERA and 11 shutouts (and 13 saves!) as an Angel. He won 79 games in six NL seasons, with a 2.88 ERA, and was the pioneer for free agency as we know it today.

-- Nolan Ryan left the Angels as a free agent at age 33 in 1980. Conventional thinking would say that was a prudent decision by the Angels, but Ryan pitched 13 more seasons, winning 157 games, with 19 shutouts and three no-hitters. As an Angel, Ryan was 138-121, with a 3.07 ERA, 40 shutouts, his first four no-hitters, and 2,416 strikeouts in 2,181 innings pitched.

Finley and Carew will be pitching to Grich and Downing as well as taking part in the scheduled Angels Hall of Fame induction of the club's original owner, the late Gene Autry. Grich, Finley and Carew have already delivered first pitches this season as part of the team's 50th anniversary celebration.

Ryan, 64, was resting comfortably on Monday in a Houston hospital while undergoing tests related to a previous heart condition.

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Angels senior advisor Bill Stoneman, who had the longest and most successful tenure in club history as vice president and general manager from 1999 to 2007, will be tossing out the ceremonial first pitch for the Angels game on Wednesday at 4:05 p.m. against Oakland.

Stoneman is making a relief appearance, stepping in on short notice for former Angels shortstop Ricky Adams (1982-83), who needed to reschedule due to illness.

A former pitcher who concluded his eight-year career in the majors with the Angels (1974), Stoneman is credited as a chief architect of the 2002 World Series champion Angels. He appointed Mike Scioscia as manager in 1999 and was instrumental in acquiring World Series-winning second baseman Adam Kennedy and shortstop David Eckstein. He also landed 2004 AL MVP Vladimir Guerrero and 2005 Cy Young winning Bartolo Colon.

Stoneman's appearance will complete this homestand's honorary Angels alumni first pitchers who return to the ballpark -- or hop out of the front office -- to help celebration the team's 50th anniversary. This homestand featured 2002 World Series winning closer Troy Percival (Angels career leader in games), Hall of Famer Rod Carew, All-Star catcher Bob Boone, All-Star pitcher Chuck Finley (Angels career leader in starts with 379; innings pitched with 2,675; and victories with 165) and Angels utility player and broadcaster Rex Hudler.

For Tuesday's Angels game against Oakland, Moose Stubing will get the ceremonial duties.The outfielder and first baseman spent his lone major league season with the Angels (1967), seeing action as a pinch hitter in five games, getting five at-bats and striking out four times. He later served as an Angels manager (1988), coach and scout.

As part of the Angels 50th anniversary celebration, former Angels will toss the ceremonial first pitches at all 81 of the ballclub's regular-season home games. The Angels are releasing the names of the returning honorary alumni one homestand at a time. Here's the lineup for this coming homestand:

* Thursday, April 21 vs. Boston (7:05 p.m.) – Troy Percival. The popular, fiery closer began his big league career with the Angels on April 26, 1995 and was on the mound when the Angels captured their 2002 World Series title. The four-time Angels All-Star played 10 seasons with the Angels (1995-2004) and retired in 2009 with 358 saves in 399 opportunities.

* Friday, April 22 vs. Boston (7:05 p.m.) – Rod Carew. The 18-time All-Star first baseman, seven-time AL batting titlist and 1977 AL MVP (Minnesota) played his final seven major league seasons with the Angels (1979-1985). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991. His No. 29 was retired by the Angels in 1991.

* Saturday, April 23 vs. Boston (6:05 p.m.) – Chuck Finley. The lefty pitcher made his major league debut with the Angels on May 29, 1986 and played 14 seasons (1986-1999) with the team. The five-time All-Star retired in 2002 after a 17-year career and a 200-173 record, with a 3.85 ERA. He lead the AL in innings pitched (183.1) and games started (25) in 1994.

But 15 years ago, he was in the sports pages of the Register. It was April of 1996, and Sheen, who portrayed pitcher Ricky Vaughn in the 1989 movie "Major League," did something never done before at the Big A.

He bought an entire section to sit in. Yeah, there was a little more to it than that. Back then, here's what I wrote:

The previous week at Anaheim Stadium it was Charlie Sheen Catch A Home Run Night. The actor bought an entire section in left field -- 2,600 tickets and $5,000 total (he was given a group discount) -- in hopes of securing a souvenir. It didn't happen.

"He should have bought tickets when I was pitching," Chuck Finley said. "I could have served him up a couple. "

Nolan Ryan left as a free agent (and Buzzie Bavasi never did find those two 8-7 pitchers to replace him). Jim Fregosi left, but he was traded for Ryan. Don Baylor, the Angels' first AL MVP in his third season, was gone after six. Chuck Finley should've been an Angel for life, but he wasn't.

Over the years in this century, we've waved goodbye to Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad, David Eckstein, Troy Percival, Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero and John Lackey.

But the two worst consecutive days in Angels history, in my memory, were Aug. 19-20, 1997. To make matters worse, the Yankees were in town.

All that happened in back-to-back games was: The loss of two key players to injury for the rest of the season, a drive toward a division title being derailed, and a manager's fate turned as well, eventually being sealed two years later.

Let's review: Angels left-hander Chuck Finley had won 10 decisions in a row (including 9-0 with a rookie catcher Todd Greene behind the plate) when he took the mound against the Yankees in the first of a four-game series. Finley slipped while backing up a play at the plate in the third inning, and injured his pitching wrist. He next pitched in 1998.